Blind-fastener



(No Model.)

P. BROWN, Jr BLIND FASTENER Patented Sept. 14,1897,

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PHILIP BRQW'N, JR, OF HAVERSTRAV, .NEYV YORK.

BLlND-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,811, dated September 14:, 1897. Application filed April 26, 1897. Serial No. 633,996. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP Bnown, J r. a citizen of the United States, residing at Haverstraw, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Blind-Fastener, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in blind-fasteners.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and effioient device adapted to-hold a blind in its open and closed positions and capable of convenient operation and of being firmly locked in its engagement.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the lower part of a windowblind provided with a fastener constructed in accordance with my invention, together with the devicesupon the sill and the side of the house adapted to be engaged by the latch to hold the blind in open or closed position. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken through the lower part of the blind and showing my improved fastener applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a perspective detailview showing the part of the latch which projects from the outer side of the blind, and Fig. at is a fragmentary detail perspective view showing the means for connecting the latch-lever to its operating.

spring.

In the views, 1 indicates the blind to which my improved fastener is applied, and 2 inclicates the casing to which the blind is hinged, said casing being provided with a sill a at its lower part in the ordinary way.

4 indicates the side of the house, and 5 and 6 indicate, respectively, the devices located upon the side of the house and upon the sill 4:, adapted to be engaged by the latch of the fastener to hold the blind in open or closed position. -As herein shown, these devices 5 and 6 are ordinary staples, such as are commonly employed for this purpose, but it is evident that they may be of any ture.

Near the outer edge of the lower part of desired nathe blind 1 is arranged a socket piece or casing 7, having a face plate adaptedto be screwed or otherwise secured to the inner side of the blind 1, the body portion of said socket piece or casin g being arranged to pass through an opening in the blind and formed with a passage 8 extending through it and adapted to receive the latch-lever 9, which extends through said passage and has its opposite ends arranged to projectfrom the innor and outer sides of the blind, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, the central portion of said latch-lever being pivoted upon a pin 10, carried by the body portion of the socket piece or casing '7 and arranged to extend vertically through the passage '8 therein.

On the outer surface or side of the blind 1 is arranged a face-plate 11, extending over the opening in the blind through which the bodyportion of the socket piece or casing passes, said face-plate 11 being centrally perforated for the passage of the latch-lever 9, as clearly shown in Fig. On the socket piece or casing 7 is secured in any preferred way a leaf spring 12, having its free end bent and arrangedto project withinthe passage 8, through which the latch-lever extends, and on the side of the latch-lever adjacentto said bent end of the spring are formed ears 13, spaced apart, as clearly shown in the detail view, Fig. 4., and adapted to receive between them the reduced extremity ld of the bent end of the spring 12, so as to hold the latch-lever and spring together, the tension of the spring being exerted to hold the latchlever normally in the position shown in Fig.2.

The latch-lever is provided at its opposite ends with oppositely-arranged projections or shoulders let and 15, respectively located on the outer and inner sides of the blind and adapted for engagement with the respective devices 5 and 6 on the side of the house and sill to hold the blind in open and closed position, these shoulders or projections 14 and 15 being so located that the spring 12 will act to hold them engaged with the devices 5 and 6,as' will be readily understood. The extremities of the latch-lever are rounded or beveled off beyond the projections or shoulders 1a and 15, so as to permit said shoulders to freely engage with the devices 5 and 6.

To the projecting inner end of the latchlever is pivotally connected one end of a link or rod 16, extending horizontally across the inner side of the blind 1, at the lower part thereof, the opposite end of said link or rod' 16 being pivotally connected with an operating-lever 17, having at its upper end a knob or handle 18, and having its lower end pivoted upon a pin or screw l9,extending through a socket 20, formed on a bracket or attaching-plate 21, fastened on the inner side of the blind, and by this construction it will be seen that when the lever 17 is swung pivotally its movement will be imparted to the latch-lever, so as to swing the same against the tension of its spring and disengage the shoulders 14 and 15 from their respective engaging devices 5 and 6 upon the side of' the house and the sill of the window.

In order to lock the latch-lever against movement, so as to prevent its shoulders or projections from being disengaged with the devices 5 and 6 upon the side of the house and sill,so that the blind will be held against movement, I provide a dog 22, pivotally mounted at one end of the face-plate of the socket piece or casing, wherein the latch-lever is carried and arranged to swing at right angles to the said latch-lever, said dog having its nose arranged to engage with the inner end of the latch-lever, so as to lock the same against movement when the dog is in engagement therewith, as will be readily understood.

The pivoted dog 22 engages the latch-lever at the inner ends of the projections 13, which form stops and which prevent the latch-lever from forcing the dog laterally. WVhen the dog is in engagement with the latch-lever, the parts are arranged at an obtuse angle to each other, and any backward movement of' the lever would tend to force the dog outward,

but by providing the projections 13 the dog is held against such outward movement and a positive locking device is produced.

From the above description it will be seen that the improved fastener is of an extremely simple and inexpensive nature .and is especially Well adapted for use upon Windowblinds and the like, since it permits the blind to be securely held in its open or closed position, while at the same time the device is capable of being readily operated to free the blind and permit the same to be moved, and, furthermore, it will be seen that by the employment of the pivoted catch the latch-lever may be held locked against movement, so as to prevent the opening ofthe blind. Moreover, it will be evident from the above description that the invention is capable of considerable modification without material departure from its principles and spirit, and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise form and arrangement of the parts herein set forth.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1n a blind-fastener, the combination of a latch-lever designed to be pivotally mounted on a blind at the outer or free edge thereof and extend from opposite sides of the same to engage devices upon the sill and the side of a house to hold the blind in open and closed positions, said lever being provided at one side with spaced projections forming a stop, a spring secured to the lever between the projections and arranged to engage the blind, a pivoted dog arranged to engage the latchlever at the inner ends of said projections, whereby the latch-lever is positively held against movement, and operating mechanism connected with the latch-lever for enabling the same to be operated at a point adjacent to the hinged edge of the blind, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PHILIP BROXVN, JR. lVitnesses:

J OSEPH LEVY, VALENTINE REMBE, Jr. 

